Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board of ESCI is composed of recognized professionals and experts in the medical-scientific field of ceramic implantology. It advises the ESCI board and stands in its competent occupation for the scientific and international orientation of the ESCI. The Advisory Council meets at least once a year as the “European Council for Ceramic Implantology” and sees itself as an independent panel of experts – any external influence on the body’s decision-making is excluded.

Tasks of theSscientific Advisory Board:

Comment on the technical and scientific performance of ESCI on a regular basis,

participate in the development of medium and long-term goals in an advisory capacity,

promote collaboration with other partners,

to provide advice in the technical and scientific field,

give expert advice to ESCI partners on request.

The members of the Scientific Advisory Board are appointed by the President of the ESCI with the unanimous approval of the Board for a four-year term of office.

Dr. Ralf-J. Kohal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Germany.
He got his doctoral degree (Dr. Med. Dent.) in 1991.
From 1993 – 1995 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Division of Periodontology, University of Texas, Houston, Texas.
Dr. Kohal is Board Certified in Prosthodontics (DGPro) and has received a certification for Oral Implantology (German Society of Implantology, DGI).
In 2002, he was awarded docentship (Dr. Med. Dent. Habil.) in Oral Health Sciences through the University of Freiburg.
His main interests are located in the field of implantology (ceramic implant materials, guided bone regeneration, sinus augmentation, guided implant surgery) and prosthodontics

Born in 1970, Jérôme Chevalier is currently full Professor at the National Institute of Applied Sciences, in France. After receiving his phD in 1996 (Mechanical properties of biomedical grade zirconia), Jérôme Chevalier first became Ceramic Engineer in Saint Gobain Group, responsible for the R&D activity on biomedical applications of ceramics. In 1997, he joined the National Institute of Applied Sciences, in Villeurbanne, as assistant Professor, then full Professor in 2004. He is currently Director of Materials Science Laboratory MATEIS (180 persons). His research activity is focused on ceramics, from their processing to their mechanical and functional properties. He has published more than 180 international papers with a review process, 7 review papers in journals and encyclopedia, 3 book chapters. He is co-author of 10 patents and his research has led to the commercialization of 6 medical products. More than 8000 papers have cited his work according to Google Scholar. 45 of his papers have been cited more than 45 times (h factor equal to 45). Jérôme Chevalier has been member of the ‘Institut Universitaire de France’ from 2009 to 2014, and he is editor of the Journal of the European Ceramic Society, leading journal (IF 2.9) on ceramics and of the open access journal ‘Materials’ (IF of 2.8). He is highly recognized for his work on the mechanical and fatigue behavior of ceramics, on the aging process in zirconia based ceramics and composites, and more generally on bioceramics (ceramics for orthopedic implants, scaffolds for tissue engineering and dental ceramics). He has participated to a large number of European projects on that topic, including a recent coordination (LONGLIFE, FP7 2012-2016). He was recently awarded by the CNRS with the prestigious ‘Innovation Medal’ and by the French Society of Materials with the ‘Sainte Claire Deville’ medal. He is Fellow of the European Ceramic Society and Member of the Academy of Ceramics.

1985 – 1990 Assistant doctor in the Oral Surgery Department of the University Hospital of Freiburg with further trainingin the areas of dentoalveolar surgery, parodontology and implantology, collaboration in the international team of implantology (ITI) under Professor Krekeler and Professor Wilfried Schilli

2006 – 2010 Further scientific projects about ceramic implants and international publications

2011 Member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Basel, scientific collaboration at the high-tech research area of Basel University Hospital under the leadership of Professor Hans Florian Zeilhofer

Numerous publications and international lectures

2012 Prehospital science project part one on investigating the biological range of ceramic dental implants in comparison with titanium implants in co-operation with the University of Bern Dental Clinic, the High-Tech Research Centre at the University Hospital of Basel, the University of Munich’s Institute of Anatomy, and the Medical Health Centre in San Antonio under the leadership of Prof. Dr. David Cochran.

2013/2014Prehospital science project part two on investigating the inflammatory alteration to ceramic dental implants in comparison with titanium implants in co-operation with the University of Sem Dental Clinic, the High-Tech Research Centre at the University Hospital of Basel, the University of Munich’s Institute of Anatomy, and the Medical Health Centre in San Antonio under the leadership of Prof. Dr. David Cochran.

2009-present Professor and Head of Division of Dental Material Science (University of Zurich, Center for Dental and Oral Medicine, Clinic for Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics and Dental Materials Science, Zurich, Switzerland)

She has authored more than 450 scientific and clinical articles in peer-reviewed journals, is a well-sought lecturer, receiver of several international awards and has held numerous continuing education courses in Europe. She serves also for the editorial boards of several scientific journals. Her clinical expertise is on reconstructive dentistry and her scientific work focuses on translational research.

She has Honorary Professorship positions at various universities some of which are São Paolo State University (Brazil), University of Madrid (Spain), University of Florida (USA) and University of Hong Kong (China).

She is EPA-Recognized Specialist in Prosthodontics, Honorary Secretary of the European Prosthodontic Association (EPA), Immediate Past-President of the International Association of Dental Research (IADR) / Dental Materials Group (DMG), Fellow of Academy of Dental Materials (FADM), Fellow of International College of Dentistry (FICD) and Fellow in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, FDS RCPS (Glasgow).

She is the recipient of the “2018 IADR Distinguished Scientist Wilmer Souder Award”.

After his studies in Roma he joined the Ceramics Technology Laboratory of the National Committee for Nuclear Energy (now ENEA), where he was involved in the characterization of the thermophysical properties of Uranium and Plutonium oxides used as nuclear fuels. Since 1975, the framework of agreements with the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) and with AGIP Nucleare S.p.A. he carried out studies on the behavior of ceramic oxides as fuels for Thermal and Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactors in nominal and in off-normal conditions.

In 1989, due to moratorium in nuclear energy activities in Italy, he transferred the know-how and technologies of his research group to the development of ceramics for clinical applications, with special emphasis on zirconia. He has been head of Research Unit in the National Research Council programme on Advanced Materials, and Scientific Coordinator of EU-funded projects. On 2000, he moved to Tecnobiomedica S.p.A as R&D Project Manager, working on the development of medical devices for orthopedic and cardiovascular applications. From 2005 to 2014, he was Scientific Director of the MeLab R&D facility of GHIMAS S.p.A. (Brindisi, Italy), developing dental implants using advanced ceramic composites and ceramic and polymeric scaffolds for bone regeneration. Since the year 2000 he is Scientific Consultant of the Medical Devices Division of CeramTec GmbH.

Since 1997 he was appointed as Lecturer by the School of Orthopedics, Faculty of Medicine of the Catholic University in Rome, where he currently teaching in the School of Orthopedics and Traumatology. He is also Senior Associate Scientist in the Institute for the Science and Technology of Ceramic Materials of the Italian National Research Council (ISTEC-CNR), Faenza.

Prof. Piconi is member of the Italian Society for Biomaterials (SIB), of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), of the International Society for Ceramics in Medicine (ISCM), of the Italian Society for Research in Orthopedics (IORS). He is referee for several scientific journals. He is author of more than 100 articles and book chapters that had more than 8500 readings and more than 2500 citations by May 2018 (Research Gate).

since 2015 President of the Austrian Society of Oral Implantology (ÖGI)

since 2015 Member of the Osteology Expert Council

since 2014 Member of the Online Communication Committee of the EAO

since 2014 Austria Section Education Delegate & Study Club Director of the ITI

since 2012 Member of the ITI

since 2011 Board member of the Austrian Society of Oral Implantology (ÖGI)

2010-2015 Member of the scientific board of the Journal, Stomatologie

since 2008 Member of the European Association for Osseointegration (EAO)

2008 – 2013 Member of the “Junior committee“ of the EAO

since 2007 Member of the German Society of Implantology (DGI)

Reviewing activity for:

Clinical Oral Implants Research

Journal of Dental Research

Journal of Clinical Periodontology

European Journal of Oral Implantology

International Journal of Implantology

Journal of Osseointegration

Dental Traumatology

Co-Head at the Department for Oral Surgery and Implantology of the
University Dental Clinic of the Medical University in Vienna, multiple
publications about in peer-reviewed scientific journals and books, 7 national
and international scientific awards. Head of the scientific consortium
„Integrated Digital Dentistry“. Since >20 years lecturing and anatomical
course activities on various surgical grafting techniques in collaboration with
the institute of anatomy.

Former President and active board member of the Austrian Society for
Implantology (OGI), scientific board member of the Austrian Dental
Association (OEGZMK). Member of th e Eu ropean Association for
Osseointegration (EAO). Active in private implant practice in Vienna. 2014
appointed Honoree Professor of the Medical University.